Customer Reviews

Japan (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is, hands down, the greatest travel guide that I have ever used. With breathtaking photos, incredibly useful illustrations, and great information relating to cultural and historical context, it provides a fantastic reference for any traveler. I don't really understand the complaints of others who stated that it had to be used with other guides and that it didn't condense the information into the "you have one day in Tokyo - this is what you must see" format. Seeing as how a travel guide is exactly that; a guide - a tool to be used in conjunction with other resources, I feel that some may have expected too much. While this book may not be as textually comprehensive as other travel guides, most of those read like stereo instructions - this book, on the other hand, does not bore the reader and is rich with poignant detail. I survived on a solo trip to Japan using this guide and, while it is true that I utilized other resources, that's half the fun of traveling - getting out there and talking to people, finding out what to do and how to do it. Which leads me to my second aforementioned point - no, this book does not say "here's what you should do if you have 15 minutes in Kyoto". I can't stand such books and don't comprehend our societal gravitation towards such instructional material. To me it shows that we are becoming lazy and want others to tell us what to do as opposed to make decisions for ourselves. Which leads me to my final point: this book is great and easily holds the reader's interest but, because it is not one of the types of books that I have begrudgingly discussed, it is not intended to be used as a sole means of guidance. Therefore, while this book is tremendously useful during one's travels, I would recommend purchasing it in advance and using it as a research springboard during one's trip planning. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

P.S. I frequently read sections out of this book; it is quite interesting even when not engaged in travel.

And, on a final note: Japan is the most spectacular place that I have ever traveled to. It is a nation that is lusciously rich with vivid beauty and fascinating culture. It has such an intriguing history and the people are absolutely phenomenal. If you stumbled upon this review because you are simply thinking about going, I vehemently encourage you to take the plunge, hop on a plane, and get over there! Oh yeah, and buy this book before you do :)

I have lived in Tokyo for 3 months and have spent another 3 months traveling in Japan with this guide. My favorite thing about the guide is the photos. While other guidebooks have an elaborate description of a town or site, I find the Eyewitness Travel Guide (ETG) to have a briefer one with some great photos. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, as someone who loves to take travel photos, I have personally found the photos to be MORE useful in selecting destinations than the other guides. I also find that after seeing the photos, I feel a little familar with a destination when I arrive there.

Another nice plus I have found is the size of this guide. This book is narrower than the other guides, and I can slip it into an oversize coat pocket. That may seem silly, but it makes the book a bit more handy.

I suppose the downside is that this is a guide to JAPAN. It is not the most comprehensive guide to Tokyo and Kyoto. (Trying to do both is probably unreasonable for any book.) So if you are going to spend more than a week in Tokyo or Kyoto, and going full out every day, then you will eventually exhaust the details of this guidebook. In that case, I would recommend you pick up a city guide for those locations. Also, as someone who has spent a lot of time in Hokkaido, I find the section devoted to the northern island to be too brief.

If you are traveling around Japan, or even considering traveling to around Japan, this is a wonderful guidebook. But if you will ONLY be going to Tokyo or Kyoto, much of this guide will be wasted, and it may not be your best option. But if you are visiting the two big cites and other parts of Japan, , you can always pair this with another guidebook.
I have found the best use for this book is to read this ETG and another guide [Frommer's online] in advance. Then when I travel I bring this one with me, and pick up some of the local tourist guides.

I thought this book covered a lot of Japan and not just the main cities. It was nice to read about so many of these places, many of which I've never even seen when I lived in Japan. I thought the detail was good and allowed me to envision being there.

After reading this I read another book on Amazon called "No Elbow Room" by Kenneth Andrews, and found that one totally amazing. It took me so much further into the Japanese culture and business world. The 2 books together really made me feel like I knew Japan.

I only wished it had a map of the trains. Other than that it was a great reference. I could carry it with me all the time and it even has useful phrasebook. The visuals allow you to make quick decisions.

You probably still need to do a lot of research online if you want to find off-the-beaten path spots. For example, if you want to stay in a Buddhist temple in Koyasan you get more info from the web. But this is always the case if you want the most up-to-date information. By the way, I highly recommend checking japan-guide.com.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guides certainly live up to their motto - "The guides that show you what others only tell you." Their Japan guide is no exception; it's full of photographs, maps, three-dimensional graphics of castle and temple compounds, and has tons of background information about all possible sites you'd want to visit and about virtually all facets of cultural life.

It doesn't reveal to you only the most popular or famous places, but also tells you about more well-kept secrets in the Japanese countryside. One example is the Buddha hiking trail in Kamakura; it's not a major attraction (though the Buddha it leads to is), but it's a great hiking trail, and the guide lets you know to look for it. Also, the Japan guide magnifies streets for you in town and city maps... for instance, Eastern Gion in Kyoto is a district made up of a warren of small streets, but there are a lot of sights to see there, including temples, pagodas, shrines, antique shops, and old unpaved roads. The Japan Guide gives you a magnification of that part of the map, showing clearly what roads intersect with other roads and pointing out the places of interest.

Definitely a worthy investment if you're planning a trip to Japan. This colorful, extensive, informative guide will give you info on practically all aspects of your trip - places both famous and obscure, food, hotels, shopping, transportation... and you'll absorb a lot of info reading it.

Excellent guide to Japan. My wife and I just spent two weeks in Japan and frequently used this book during our trip. We spent 5 days in Tokyo, 6 in Kyoto, and 1 in Hiroshima.

Pros:
Easy to carry size and lightweight.
Pictures of a large number of sights.
Accurate information reference opening times, travel directions, locations, and phone numbers.
Book is not an overkill of info. Provides a brief intro for each sight.
Well orgnaized and easy to use.
Shopping and entertainment section at the end of each section.
Chapters on Tokyo, Kyoto, and regional chapters.
Also includes the dates of special events at each sight.

Cons:
No walking routes, tour routes, or prioritation of sights.

If you travel to Japan, we also recommend you bring another tour book to doubletap two sources. We used another Kyoto book for Kyoto since there was so much to see in the city.

Enjoy your trip,
A. Cerella

My wife and I enjoy to travel and we have been to many places and we have used the DK Eyewitness Guides a number of times (see my homepage). We bought the Japan guide to start planning our trip to Japan in May 2005 and we found the guidebook useful (as usual). We used it to find out where to buy tickets for a sumo match in Tokyo, we used it to navigate around Tokyo, we used it when we came to a restaurant in Kyoto where the two old people behind the counter didn't speak any English etc. We also found it very useful when we went to the castle at Himeji and found out that there was no guided tours in English. The book has lots of pratical information in my opinion or maybe it is just me that are getting used to this style in guidebooks. I do find the DK Eyewitness guides to be far more interesting that e.g. Lonely Planet, Frommer's etc

I'm not normally a fan of Eyewitness travel guides. Yes, it's nice to have pictures, but they come at the expense of information and the heavy paper required to show them off to full advantage makes these books too heavy to take on vacation (in my opinion). I've also seen pictures that looked oh-so-compelling in an Eyewitness Guide, but they turned out to be of the one attractive thing in an otherwise drab, dirty city. Yet there are things to like about these guides and this one is no exception.

Unlike other guides you can get an idea of what places and attractions look like, which is especially helpful in a country like Japan, which has about a bajillion Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Reading about them alone probably wouldn't help you pick amongst them so here the pictures really help. The sections on cultural differences and practical tips for travelers are especially useful in this book.

The main weakness of this book is that it is heavily focused on Tokyo and Kyoto, and smaller places get short shrift. A number of reviewers have noted that maps and helpful phrases are not very complete, but I don't think you rely on a travel guide for those. A smaller phrase book that you can carry around and show to Japanese people would be more helpful, and I always buy a map of any place I am visiting for more than one or two sights or at least get the free ones the hotel inevitably gives you. Detailed maps would make this book unwieldy and even heavier than it is.

People have also noted that there are very few hotel and restaurant recommendations. This is always true of Eyewitness guides, but with the internet so easily accessible these days, this is less of a problem than it used to be. TripAdvisor.com, Expedia.com, Japan-guide.com and other travel sites have comprehensive and up-to-date hotel and restaurant info and traveler reviews and are far more useful than a book that has to go to print months in advance of being available. They are also indispensable for things like finding lodging at a Buddhist temple in Koyasan -- this guide mentions that you can do it, but doesn't tell you how. The internet is far more useful for things like that.

Finally, Eyewitness Guides don't have recommended itineraries geared to specific interests or time tables like some other guidebooks, and it is a definite weakness of the series. [...]

This book isn't perfect, but it's a useful tool in helping one plan and appreciate a trip to Japan, especially for those desiring a somewhat "touristy" experience.

The Eyewitness Travel Guide for Japan is a very good publication. I used the guide on a recent trip to Kyoto and therefore I will only be able to comment on the use of the guide in Kyoto.

In general the guide prepares you for Japan fairly well. I found Japan to be a land of contradictions in regard to dress. The youth of Japan show their rebellion by coloring their dark hair with red highlights and wear wild teased up hair styles. They wear gothic styles with a touch of S&M leather. The clothing selections and combinations are striking. However on the same bus or subway that you see youths with wild clothing, you will also see older women wearing the traditional kimono with obi sash. Take a careful look at these ladies and you will see how beautiful the clothes are matched and patterned. You may also see the beautiful Geisha and Maiko in Kyoto, visiting historic sites or traveling in hand pulled carriages.

In the 5 days I was in Japan I never saw the first piece of trash or garbage on the ground. I never even saw a cigarette butt on the ground. I was amazed at the cleanliness. One morning on an early walk, I found a monk carefully sweeping a public bridge of early autumn leaves.

Downtown Kyoto was full of high end stores and amazing displays of neon. The corner of Shijo and Kawaramachi is the Kyoto version of Times Square with the magnificent Takashimaya flagship store. However as you walk downtown Kyoto you will see small Shinto or Buddhist shrines hidden between buildings. At the gate there is a frequent water fountain and tin cups so that you can wash and purify your hands before entering the shrine. Many have incense and candles burning. Some contain amazing antique Buddhist statues. There is often a thick rope tied to an antique bell high above your head. Pull the bellcord, ring the bell and say a short prayer. Kyoto is a city of palaces, castles, fortresses, shrines, and temples. Most of the palaces, castles, and fortresses have wonderful gardens to explore. Many of the shrines and temples also have superbly beautiful gardens. Some of the gardens are called Paradise Gardens because they are meant to evoke the Pure Land or Buddhist paradise. The private gardens of the Emperor,which are located ajacent to his residence in the Imperial Compound, are such gardens. However, some of the temples have the dry-landscape gardens with carefully rakes gravel. The Japanese are major tourists in their own country and appreciate the careful garden landscape designs, especially the reflection of temples or a stand of autumn red trees reflected in a pool. The florists of Kyoto are experts in Ikebana, with stunning asymetrical arrangements of flowers. Go into florists shops while traveling in Kyoto to see the artistic arrangements of the owners. Garden shops often had impressive examples of Bonsai. The antique shops in Kyoto contain interesting ceramics and bronze castings. The prices were a bit steep especially in light of the fact that contemporary potters create similar work to the old masters of 400 years ago.

The Eyewitness Guide has a short history of Japan. Of interest is the odd pattern of the Emperor abdicating to become a reclusive monk and allowing a son or grandson to become Emperor. Interstingly the new young Emperor is charged with all the boring rituals of court ceremony while the reclusive retired Emperor rules the land without having to waste time on formal ceremonies. Also, at times in Japan's history, the country was actually run by a Shogun, a military dictator, while the Imperial family was concerned with ceremony without any real power.

Kyoto is a fantastic city to visit. The subway system is easy to understand once you take your first trip. The subway stops are convenient to every part of town and to many of the historic sites. The Gion district is gret fun to explore with its narrow stone roads and tiny shops. The Eyewitness map covered the central 80% of the city but there was no subway map in the guide. This would have been a nice feature.

Kyoto station, where all trains, subways, and buses meet, can be a bit confusing. Give yourself plenty of time since most of the signs are in Japanese and English signs are not available for every line, train track, or bus stop.

The Sanjusangen-do Temple is a 'must see' item. It contains 1000 Kannon statues, all lined up in rows. In front of these 1000 statues are a series of goddesses, gods, demons, spirits that guard the 1000 Kannon statues. These works are superb. In the center is one very large Kannon carved 750 years ago that is impressive. The statues are housed in the longest wooden structure in the world.

Nijo Castle is also a 'must see' item. It is a fortress within a fortress. The massive Karamon Gate marks the entrance into the area where the Shogun held court and lived. You are allowed to see his meeting rooms, residential rooms, study, and the large hall where he holds court (the Ohiroma Ichi-no-ma). The gardens surrounding the buildings are incredible with orchards of cherry and plum trees. Like every historic building or shrine or temple, you must take off your shoes to enter. Of note is the nightingale floors in the Castle which were built to squeak to alert of a sneak attack.

The Gion district is great fun. Shijo street ends at the Yasaka Shrine, a compound that should be visited. The grounds of the Shrine link to Maruyama Park. From here, it is a short walk to the historic Kodaiji Temple which is superbly landscaped. The strolling paths are fun and will take you to the Yasakanoto Pagoda that stands high above the downtown area. The homes and inns in this region are exquisite with wonderful tea gardens leading into the entrances.

The Higashihonganji Temple is massive is reported to be the largest wooden structure in the world.

The Imperial residence within the Imperial Park is a fascinating group of buildings with residential and ceremonial buildings. I certainly enjoyed seeing the palace compound and fantastic gardens.

Shopping in Kyoto is very interesting. Pickle stores abound with pickled turnips, radishes, mustard greens, cherrys, plums, and other delicasies that we rarely see in the United States. The restaurants in the Pontocho region are good. We ate at Wontana and had the 9 course chef's meal (called Kaiseki) with a range of Saki selections. Expect many fish and duck dishes in Kyoto restaurants. Because I was in Kyoto for business we had Bento Boxes for lunch. They are a real treat with many tasty items. The sushi and sashimi was fantastic in Kyoto. The Maguro (tuna) and Snapper was excellent. When running around town, you may see Pocari Sweat, an oddly named soft drink. Be careful around tipping since it is not customary and may be offensive. Restrooms are frequent and well marked. Western style toilets in hotels and restaurants may be high tech with seat warmers and water sprayers and noise makers to disquise bathroom sounds. Some of these toilets start a slow trickle flush when you sit down to disquise noise.

I did not give the guide 5 points because there were a few things that were needed that could have been provided. A subway map of Kyoto would have been nice in the Kyoto section. However the major ommission in the book was a warning that ATMs are hard to find and may not take US banks or credit unions. I found that post offices had ATMs that would take Western cards but there were not many ATMs in Kyoto - so be prepared.

However, overall this is a good product, with beautiful pictures and basic good information.

If you're going to Japan I recommend this book for 95% of your travelling pleasure and information. It may not have EVERYTHING about Japan or be as detailed as other guides, but the true point of a guide is to be concise and accurate.

It's not too large so that you're carrying around a dictionary which hurts to walk with; makes you embarrassed to show; or vividly display's to the country that you're a tourist. It's not too small that you have to squint to read; is easy to lose; or hard to find the information you require.

The layout is precise, colourful, and common-in-sense. The chapters each have an apparent colour and mark a different region of Japan. Within each region are the major cities present plus some notable other areas (eg: Hot Springs, Mountains, and Beaches). There are plenty of pictures, diagrams, charts, important information sheets, etc, throughout the book. (eg: each region has a breakdown map of cities/notable places). Within the major cities, there are landmarks, attractions, and neat notable nooks mentioned throughout. Everything is followed by an appropriately concise paragraph. This is how it should be to me: A brief description of what you are going to see so that you do not have your nose buried in the book when you should be viewing the sites and yet still have a background to what you are viewing.

I think every guide book should have many pictures, maps, etc, so that you can help visually reference yourself, which you will need to do in Japan. There is so much packed together in this country that it's easy to get lost. There are pictures literally on almost every page of this book, which provide excellent landmarks for your travels. The maps are not overwhelming; they only display the required information.

I obtained 15+ guide books and maps during my travel to Japan, however this one book was the reference I carried with me everywhere I went. Until you tour Japan often you are going to want a book like this one for everywhere you go.